6 Skills To Master If You Want To Work In Events In 2019

Are you ready to take the next step in your events career? Perhaps you’re already in the industry or considering a career change this new year; whatever the case, there are certain skills you need to master if you hope to excel in this fast-paced industry.

Planning, organising and executing events is no small feat – especially if you have hundreds, maybe even thousands of people attending. We always like to help out where we can, so we’ve pulled together a list of the top six skills you’ll need to perfect if you want to work in events in 2019.

1. Organisation

Events don’t just happen by themselves. They’re put together piece by piece, through lots of careful planning. This includes tasks such as researching venues (from Surrey to Sydney!), caterers, photographers and everything else in between. Plus, you’ll need to arrange timings, guests, promotion of the event and all the tiny details that come along with it.

As such, to be a success Event Manager you need to be highly organised and make sure you’re keeping on top of everything. You can’t afford to let even the smallest detail slip through the cracks. In order to succeed in this industry, you’ll need to perfect your organisational skills!

2. Communication

Your role in events will require you to speak to a whole range of people, from vendors to guests, from all over the world. Therefore, you need to make sure you have great communication skills.

This means listening to instructions and being able to effectively communicate and articulate your ideas, as well as being able to provide clear instructions to everyone else involved in making the event happen. Furthermore, your communication levels with your corporate clients needs to be regular, whilst maintaining the core elements – Honest, initiative, Personal, Proactive and On-target (Hippo).

3. Problem solving

Unfortunately, no matter how much organisation, things don’t always go to plan and when you’re working in events, you should be prepared for this. If a problem arises, you need to be able to find a quick and effective solution. Especially if the problem occurs close to, or on the day of, the event.

If you wish to work in this exciting industry, you need to master keeping a cool head in stressful situations. You also should ensure you’re willing to do what it takes to find a solution and get everything back on track.

4. Budgeting

It’s likely that you’ll be given your budget before you start planning the event and it’s vital that you’re able to stick to this. This also means keeping careful track of every expenditure, receipts, invoices etc., to ensure you can provide proof of every purchase along the way.

Basic mathematical skills are a must. But more than that, you need to be able to decide where best to spend your budget, ensuring you set aside enough money for every aspect of the event. If you do have to spend a little more than planned, you need to be prepared to back this up and explain to the host or client why this is the case.

It’s also about understanding what’s reasonable, especially when it comes to vendors or suppliers who may try to charge over the top prices.

5. Negotiation

Working in events means you need to be an excellent negotiator, especially when it comes to your budget. You’ll often find yourself bargaining with suppliers, convincing venues to lower their costs and even negotiating sponsorship deals. The events industry is not for the faint hearted.

You must be prepared to put yourself out there and haggle on the price. You also need to ensure you don’t take rejection personally; if they’re not willing to budge on the cost, either accept their terms or find an alternative.

6. Creativity

Last, but certainly not least, you need to be creative! As previously stated, events don’t just fall into place. They require ideas, inspiration and a genuine passion for what you’re doing. And this creativity needs to filter down to every last detail. It’s often the finishing touches that can make or break an event, so being creative is an absolute must! Think outside the box when and where appropriate.

Do you want to succeed in the events industry?
A career in events can be a great choice, but if you’re hoping to make waves in the industry this year, you need to make sure you brush up on these six key skills.

Ensure you’re able to organise yourself, others and budgets without failure. But most of all, make sure you’re creative. Whether that’s in planning the decorations or coming up with a creative solution to a problem, you need to pay great attention to detail.